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speakers 7
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JAMES RANDI
- Participated in Ideas at the Powerhouse sessions:
- How much
of this should we believe? - Show 1
- 8pm, Thursday, August 16
How much
of this should we believe? - Show 2
- 5.30pm, Saturday, August 18
Renowned magician and escape artist, James Randi investigates,
disproves and demystifies paranormal and pseudoscientific
phenomenon. As an investigator of unusual claims he
has encountered the full gamut of claims. In 1972 two
scientists from the Stanford Research Institute validated
Uri Geller's claims of paranormal powers. As a result,
Geller quickly became an international celebrity using
his "psychic" abilities to bend spoons and
move objects. In a effort to expose the truth about
Geller, Randi approached Johnny Carson for an appearance.
Geller's 22 minute appearance was a disaster and he
was unable to perform a single feat. Carson's producers,
consulting with Randi, had set up safeguards against
cheating.
Randi has also exposed faith healers and investigated
homeopathic water "with a memory". "Acceptance
of nonsense as a harmless aberration can be dangerous
to all of us ... We live in a society that is enlarging
the boundaries of knowledge at an unprecedented rate,
and we cannot keep up with much more than a small portion
of what is made available to us. To mix that knowledge
with childish notions of magic and fantasy is to cripple
our perception of the world around us. We must reach
for the truth, not for the ghosts of dead absurdities."
Together with such luminaries as astronomer, Carl Sagan,
Nobel Laureate physicist, Murray Gell-Mann, psychologist,
B.F. Skinner, and noted science and science-fiction
author, Isaac Asimov, Randi is a founding fellow of
the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims
of the Paranormal.
A prolific writer, he has written several books and
many articles. His books include The Truth About Uri
Geller, The Faith Healers, Flim-Flam!, and An Encyclopedia
of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural.
His lectures and television appearances have delighted
˜ and vexed ˜ audiences around the world.
In 1996, the James Randi Education Foundation was established
to further Randi's work and offers a $US1,000,000 prize
to bonafide psychics.
He has received numerous awards and recognitions, including
a Fellowship from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur
Foundation in 1986.
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MARGARET REYNOLDS
- Participated in Ideas at the Powerhouse session:
- Fascination
vs. Recognition
- 6pm, Friday, August 17
Margaret Reynolds is a former Senator with a continuing
commitment to Reconciliation and human rights. She argues
that commonwealth leaders have failed "to accept
responsibility for a specific commitment to recognise
and respect indigenous peoples rights". In line
with statements made by some Indigenous leaders, Reynolds
has said that "the process of reconciliation necessarily
involves an acknowledgement of the past. The losses
incurred by the Indigenous peoples and the injustices
perpetrated by the majority communities need to be re-educated.
While past wrongs have to be acknowledge, they also
need to be rectified. There must be a process of restorative
justice. The process of reconciliation is intimately
linked to the process of reversing discriminatory practices."
Reynolds was first elected to the Senate in 1983 after
serving as a Councillor in Townsville Shire Council.
As a parliamentarian, she held several positions in
the Hawke and Keating Labor Cabinets including Minister
for Local Government and Minister Assisting the Prime
Minister on the Status of Women. She has been a member
of Senate Select, Standing and Legislative Committees
as well as Parliamentary delegations focused on anti-discrimination,
human rights and Native Title. As a Parliamentary delegate,
she has represented the Australian government at the
United Nations and international conferences. In 1995,
she was Adviser in Australian Delegation to the United
Nations' 4th World Conference on Women in Beijing, China.
Her publications include HERstory: Australian Labor
women in Federal, State and Territory
Parliaments and The last bastion: Labor women working
towards equality in the Parliaments of Australia. Prior
to political career, Reynolds was a teacher and lecturer.
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JOHN RIMMER
- Participated in Ideas at the Powerhouse session:
- 'One of
the most hyped phenomenon of all time
- 12.30pm, Friday, August 17
John Rimmer is Chief Executive Officer of the Australian
Government's National Office for the Information Economy
(NOIE). This executive agency is responsible for the
development and coordination of advice to the Government
on information economy issues.
Research into the impact of converging technologies
on economic policy, business strategy and delivery of
services to the public has long informed Rimmer's thinking.
He is successful in leading and communicating corporate
strategy and encouraging the innovation and organisational
commitment necessary to harness the potential of the
information and communications revolution.
Prior to his appointment as Chief Executive Officer,
Rimmer was a consultant and company director. This followed
a career as a senior executive in the Victorian Government
where he held leadership positions in Health, Premier's
and State Development portfolios. Among Rimmer's outstanding
achievements was the design and implementation of the
Victorian Government's Information Technology, Communications
and Multimedia Strategy, 'Victoria 21' in 1995.
Rimmer's previous Board appointments include:
- Membership of the Australian Broadcasting Authority;
- Chair of the New Media Arts Fund of the Australia
Council;
- Deputy President of the Library Board of Victoria
and Chair of its internet services subsidiary VICNET;
- Chairman of ETC Holdings Pty Ltd;
- Chairman of Joint Technology Parks Pty Ltd; and
- Chairman and Principal of Acuity Consulting Pty
Ltd.
Rimmer holds a Master of Arts degree in public policy
from the University of Melbourne and is a Fellow of
the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a
Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration Australia
(Victoria).
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ALAN SAUNDERS
- Participated in Ideas at the Powerhouse sessions:
- Is this
the comfort zone?
- 5pm, Friday, August 17
'A new hybrid
architecture - a new spatial order'
- 1pm, Friday, August 17
Alan Saunders is an award winning broadcaster and writer.
He joined the ABC Science Unit in 1987 and inaugurated
The Food Program in early 1988. He continues to write
regularly about food for a number of publications.
During 1991, he was co-presenter of Screen, Radio National's
weekly program about film and television. He contributes
film reviews to Radio National with Peter Thompson and
is a Vice-President of the Film Critics' Circle of Australia.
He has worked on Meridian, a weekly review of the humanities,
since its launch in January 1995.
Saunders was born in London. He has a B.A. in philosophy
from the University of Leicester and an M.Sc. in Logic
and Scientific Method from the London School of Economics.
He came to Australia in 1981 to pursue research at the
Australian National University, and was awarded his
Ph.D. in 1989. In 1985 he was a Frances Yates Fellow
of the Warburg Institute, University of London.
His first book, A is for Apple, was published by Reed
Books in 1995. In 1992, he was awarded the Geraldine
Pascall Prize "in recognition of the distinguished
contribution made by the recipient to the cultural life
in Australia as a broadcaster and writer on the subject
of food and/or wine."
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